Patent GB-1051637-A (GB)
IPC: B07C3/08
Abstract: 1,051,637. Sorting mail articles. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. Aug. 15, 1963 [Aug. 20, 1962], No. 32295/63. Heading B8A. A system for sorting mail comprises a means for handling mail independent of its size and weight and carrying a means for identifying the mail, and a means responsive to the identifying means for sorting the mail. Culled and faced mail is conveyed past an operator who punches a destination code which is magnetically encoded on one of a plurality of encoding bars 8 attached to the bottom of a tray 9 at a position where the mail item is to be inserted. The latter operation is effected by an inserter, Fig. 13, which deposits the mail item in one of a plurality of holding devices, Fig. 3, arranged in the tray 9 and each associated with an encoding bar 8. The trays 9 are fed into a sorting machine, Fig. 2, via a conveyer belt 13<SP>1</SP>, over a roller 14 and strike a curved wall 15 which causes the falling trays to assume an inverted position on a conveyer 16. Continuously driven rollers 17 upstream of the conveyer 16 drive the trays 9 up against stops 18 on the conveyer 16 where the trays rest over holes 21 in the conveyer 16. The trays are then conveyed past multiple sensing devices 22, each associated with a bin 23 and a code representing the destination of the mail item. Upon a coincidence of code on the encoding bar 8 on the tray 9 and the code of a sensing device, the relevant holding device is caused to eject its mail item into the associated bin 23. The holding and ejecting device, Fig. 3, comprises two smooth rectangular frames 24, 25 welded together at 26, 27 so as to be resilient enough to be spaced apart at the top. A depth controlling member 28 runs across and extends beyond the full width of the frames 24, 25. An endless belt 32 is disposed about and within the frames 24, 25 and is connected to and movable with, the member 28 to form a variable depth pocket 33 for the mail. When a mail item is to be inserted into the holding device a wedge is inserted between the frames 24, 25 to part them and the depth controlling member 28 is pushed down causing the inner layers of the belt 32 forming the pocket 33 to move downwardly and thereby carrying the mail item with them. After inversion and upon coding coincidence, a solenoid is operated which causes the depth controlling member to be pushed back to its original place whereby the mail item is ejected into the relevant bin 23. In another embodiment, Fig. 12, the holding device has two frames comprised of vertical leaf springs 48, 49 connected to horizontal bars 54, 55 at top and bottom, the bottom ends of each frame being rigidly connected together. The endless belt has mating teeth 61, Fig. 7 (not shown), through which the depth controlling member 56 is threaded and thereby connects itself to the belt. A corrugated positive ejecting means 67 is positioned between the inner layers of the belt above the depth controlling member 56 and is connected to the flanged member 56 by flaps and tabs 68, 71. The inserting device, Fig. 13, comprises two endless belts, each passing around a set of bars secured between frames 88, 89 to form between them a V-shaped pocket 98 into which the mail is deposited. The belts are driven by belt connecting strips 102 which when pushed downwards via supports 100, 101 to which solenoid devices, Fig. 17 (not shown), are connected cause the walls of the pocket 98 to move downwardly to deposit the mail item in the holding device. The inserting device is positioned above the relevant holding device and rods 107, 108 connected to the movable supports 100, 101 engage the depth controlling member of the holding device to actuate the member during insertion, and also allow the wedge 45, Fig. 20 (not shown), to be inserted under spring loading between the two frames of the holding device. The mail item is then transferred by the " push " of the insertion and the " pull " of the holding device after which the insertion belt connecting strips are returned to their upper position whereby the wedge is lifted against its spring. The holding devices are emptied at their relevant bins by the solenoid devices, Fig. 17 (not shown), which start the downward travel of the depth controlling members 28, after which the members 28 engage inclined plane cams, Fig. 22 (not shown), for their final downward travel. The trays 9 shown in Fig. 19 comprise an open framework on a base 16 having two pairs of parallel channel sections 135, 136, 138, 139 with slots in both flanges of the lower channels and in only the lower flange of the upper channel to permanently engage the side support members of the holding devices.